Open AccessCooperatives and Social Capital: A Theoretically-Grounded Approach
Author(s) -
Andrés Spognardi
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
c.i.r.i.e.c. españa
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.656
H-Index - 8
eISSN - 1989-6816
pISSN - 0213-8093
DOI - 10.7203/ciriec-e.97.12563
Subject(s) - social capital , argument (complex analysis) , variety (cybernetics) , resource (disambiguation) , interpersonal ties , affect (linguistics) , ethnography , capital (architecture) , business , economics , economic system , sociology , social psychology , psychology , social science , computer science , computer network , biochemistry , chemistry , communication , archaeology , artificial intelligence , history , anthropology
Social capital is widely regarded as a collective resource with positive effects on the economic performance of cooperatives. This conclusion is based on the implicit assumption that social interactions between cooperative members would inexorably lead to the development of networks, norms and trust. This paper challenges the validity of this assumption. Conceptualizing social capital as a resource of the individual, it is argued that the interactions between cooperative members may lead to the establishment of a variety of complex social ties, some of which can negatively affect the economic performance of the organization. To illustrate this argument, the paper presents an exploratory case study of a small, manufacturing worker cooperative. Drawing on ethnographic techniques, the study identifies four organizational dynamics which are presumably affected by social capital: (1) the rule of surplus distribution; (2) the style of leadership; (3) the mechanisms of control; and (4) the criteria for recruiting and evaluating new members.